1. Field of the Technology
The present technology relates to a method, system, and computer program product for managing a Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) using a Network Management System (NMS), and more particularly a method, system, and computer program product for enabling a NMS user to view information and perform operations across Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security (FCAPS) domains in a horizontal fashion in a TMN layer independent manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
As telecommunications services have proliferated, telecommunications networks have become increasingly complex. Today, telecommunications networks, using technologies such as Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Ethernet, etc., extend world-wide and include thousands of network elements (NEs). Typically, such networks require the capability to manage, provision, and maintain network elements that are manufactured by different venders.
Telecommunication Management Networks are managed using Network Management Systems (NMS). Objects managed by NMS are primarily defined by the scope of TMN layers. TMN layers include Network Element Layer (NEL), Element Management Layer (EML), Network Management Layer (NML), Service Management Layer (SML) and Business Management Layer (BML). Objects defined in these layers require support from NMS in one or more of the FCAPS domains.
Typically, management operations need to be applied on different types of objects across the TMN pyramid. Objects managed at a particular layer depend on other objects defined in lower layer and they need to be managed in a transparent manner. For example, trouble shooting a service object in the SML requires configuration management, performance management and fault management operations on both A-end and Z-end objects in the NML and the EML of a connection object that is carrying the service. Hence, selective operations in FCAPS domains need to be applied to multiple objects at same time to perform the trouble shooting operation. Typically, an application is provided for each FCAPS domain to perform management operations that can be performed in the respective FRCAPS domain. Using different applications to perform different management operations from different views is cumbersome and time consuming in certain scenarios.
Applications in the NMS provide different information and the ability to perform operations as designed with respect to the functional domain. And the information and functionality provided by each application may not be available to other applications or presented in a consistent manner. As a result, management information is provided in a disjoint manner, which makes it difficult for a user to determine the proper context and navigate across applications. Also, the user interface of an application is often fixed during the design phase and not adaptable to varying field and task requirements.
There exist a need for a method, system and computer program product to perform management operations on a telecommunications network. There is a need for the method, system and computer program product to perform management operations to manage different objects in Telecommunication Management Network layers by including its composed objects. There is a need for the method, system and computer program product to provide functionality in each of the FCAPS domains in a horizontal fashion in an integrated view. There is a need for the method, system and computer program product to provide context sensitive user interface adopting to object type and user task requirements. There is a need for the method, system and computer program product to improve the management of telecommunications networks and make the management more efficient.